Sebastian Zeissig © ECCO

Mechanisms and therapeutic modulation of mucosal healing in IBD 

We saw one of the best-ever attended SciCom Workshops this year, with exciting talks and highly interactive discussions around the topic of mucosal healing in IBD. In two sessions, the mechanisms of intestinal regeneration and its disruption in IBD and novel approaches to the clinical assessment and therapeutic modulation of mucosal healing were discussed.

Janneke van der Woude © ECCO

One of the main goals of ECCO is to promote IBD-related basic and clinical research as well as to foster interaction and productive collaboration among European research groups working in the IBD field.

To achieve this goal, ECCO continues to award Grants, Fellowships and Travel Awards, and the number of awardees has now increased to an amazing total of more than 25.  

CALM Trial

Sasha Fehily  © ECCO

Introduction

There has been a recent shift in Crohn’s Disease (CD) management away from the conventional focus on short-term clinical outcomes and towards the maintenance of long-term remission.  In 2015 the International Organisation for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases released a consensus statement recommending a treat-to-target approach [1]. The STRIDE initiative recommended pursuing treatment escalation in order to achieve the treatment targets of clinical remission and mucosal healing, with adjunctive use of normal C-reactive protein (CRP) and faecal calprotectin (FC) levels. However, the authors noted that prospective studies would be needed to confirm that achievement of these targets would alter the natural history of disease and improve patients’ quality of life.

Dominik Bettenworth  © ECCO

Dear Y-ECCO Friends,

A warm welcome to the Y-ECCO Literature Review section, where you will find a summary and discussion of cutting-edge clinical trials as well as basic science studies in the field of IBD. 

If you are a Y-ECCO Member and you are looking for an opportunity to get actively involved in ECCO and gain some visibility, contribute your article to the Y-ECCO Literature Review corner, together with a short self-description and your picture.

Charlotte Hedin © ECCO

Florian Rieder is currently an Associate Staff physician in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition as well as an Investigator in the Department of Inflammation and Immunity at the Cleveland Clinic in the USA. His area of interest is pathogenesis of intestinal fibrosis and trial endpoint development for testing anti-fibrotics in stricturing IBD patients. He received his medical degree from the LMU Munich and has worked in Germany, Switzerland and South Africa as well as the USA. 

Nuha Yassin © ECCO

Dear Y-ECCO Friends,

I hope that this Members’ Address finds you all well and that you’re enjoying the beautiful autumn colours. Alas, this will be the last time that I address you as Y-ECCO Chair, as I will be stepping down from this position at the next ECCO Congress (2019, Copenhagen). It is with the greatest pleasure that I will then hand over the position of Chair to my colleague, Dominik Bettenworth (Münster, Germany), who has been an executive Y-ECCO Committee Member for the last 3 years. My colleague John Nik Ding will also be completing his 3-year Committee Membership and accompanying me down the path of the autumn leaves to regular ECCO Membership, thus making way for two new Y-ECCO Committee Members.

Gert de Hertogh © ECCO

Histopathologists have traditionally fulfilled three functions in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) care. First, they play a role in the initial diagnosis, together with gastroenterologists, endoscopists and radiologists. Second, they establish a differential diagnosis at clinical flares of the disease, resolving the question of whether there is reactivation of the IBD, a superinfection or an unrelated pathology. Third, they are involved in the screening of patients for premalignant lesions and cancer.

Antonino Spinelli © ECCO

Paulo Kotze © ECCO

Rochester, USA, September 18, 2018

On September 18, 2018, a very interesting multidisciplinary IBD meeting was held at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, USA, with ECCO endorsement and involvement of several ECCO and S-ECCO Members. The meeting was organised by Amy Lightner and John Pemberton, and the focus was on the interaction between medical, endoscopic and surgical therapy of IBD. ECCO EduCom was represented by Peter Irving (UK) and Paulo Kotze (BRA), while several S-ECCO representatives also made significant contributions to the scientific programme, including Antonino Spinelli (ITA), Willem Bemelman (HOL), Andre D’Hoore (BEL) and Janindra Warusavitarne (UK). In addition, a number of experienced North American gastroenterologists and surgeons, such as Remo Panaccione (CAN), Sunanda Kane (USA), Miguel Regueiro (USA), Bo Shen (USA) and Phil Fleshner (USA), were involved in the programme.

Antonino Spinelli © ECCO

Paulo Kotze © ECCO

Barranquilla, Colombia

Last August, during the Colombian national congress of colorectal surgery, the 5th S-ECCO International IBD Workshop took place in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. The programme was developed by S-ECCO and the workshop was held over one and a half days during the 3-day Colombian congress. Several current and previous ECCO Committee Members were involved in the programme: Willem Bemelman (HOL), ECCO Secretary; Antonio Lopez San-Roman (SPA), EduCom Chair; Marc Ferrante (BEL), ClinCom Chair; Paulo Kotze (BRA), EduCom Member; Janindra Warusavitarne (UK) and Andre D’Hoore (BEL). Other international guests, including Phil Fleshner (USA), Stephan Holubar (USA), Sergio Araujo (BRA) and Fabio Teixeira (BRA), also made substantial contributions to the programme. The faculty was completed by experienced Colombian gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons and worked together in an outstanding scientific atmosphere.

Marjo Campmans-Kuijpers © ECCO

Although Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has been historically associated with underweight and malnutrition, rates of obesity have been rising in patients with IBD, as in the general population. Nowadays, 15%–40% of adults with IBD are obese, and an additional 20%–40% are overweight [1]. Obesity is independently associated with higher disease burden and costs of hospitalisation in patients with IBD [2].